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Truth & rumours

Caught off guard

WILLIAM HOUSTON

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 6:55 PM EST 25/03/08

CBC didn't see all those figure-skating medals coming ...Read the full article

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  1. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: The G&M complaining about the CBC is the equivalent of a teapot calling the kettle black.

    The G&M just figured out that their beloved mighty leaf team won't be around in a few weeks. Only in the last week have we seen any coverage of the #1 team in the East. Sounds a lot like the CBC doesn't it??

    I'm glad the leafs aren't in first, the G&M would have already started printing their leaf stanley cup cover pages.

    The G&M is not a national newspaper.
  2. Celine Brown from Canada writes: You're right on the money Pat.

    The Globe regularly covers major national sporting events using Canadian Press but still has a bunch of covering the Leafs and/or Blue Jays.
  3. Celine Brown from Canada writes: You're right on the money Pat.

    This 'national' paper regularly uses Canadian Press feed to cover major national sporting events, but then has a bunch of reporters working the Leafs/Blue Jays beats.

    And don't even get me started on Brunt covering every boxing event regardless of locale.
  4. Matt O from Canada writes: The real story here, which Mr. Houston seems to consistently miss, is CBC's increasing reliance on its "Country Canada" network to show live sporting events.

    First of all, I'm sure that using a network devoted to...I don't know shows about the farms and such...does not have a licence to show live sports, something the CRTC should be all over them for (why aren't they, by the way? A bit of favouritism towards a public broadcaster, I suspect).

    Secondly, this station is only available on digital and satellite, way up the dial. Few people even have access to it.

    Thirdly, CBC is just using this station to cynically attract subscribers who would otherwise shun a dull network devoted to...I don't know, shows about cows and sheep (seriously, what does this network broadcast, exactly?). Nobody in their right minds would buy this garbage, but CBC is trying to hold a gun to our heads. Not behaviour befitting a corporation that is supported by Canadian tax dollars.

    Just wait until this happens when the 2008 Olympics are on, and then you'll really hear the complaints about CBC's antics.
  5. don diego from Canada writes: My wife tried three times this weekend to watch the skating, yet could never find anything, nor any advertising on when anything was on (sorry CBC, we don't have a digital feed).

    If the CBC is complaining that no one watched, maybe they should have done a better job leading up to the events letting people know when stuff was actually going to air.

    Way to shut out your core audience.
  6. Chris Eaton from Fredericton, writes: " Matt O from Canada writes: The real story here, which Mr. Houston seems to consistently miss, is CBC's increasing reliance on its "Country Canada" network to show live sporting events.

    First of all, I'm sure that using a network devoted to...I don't know shows about the farms and such...does not have a licence to show live sports, something the CRTC should be all over them for (why aren't they, by the way? A bit of favouritism towards a public broadcaster, I suspect)."

    Hardly. Have you watched History TV lately? Noticed the episodes of CSI?

    How about MuchMoreMusic in the evening. What does a Hulk Hogan reality TV show have to do with music?

    The fact of the matter is that these speciality networks quickly learn that most specialties don't have enough of an audience to survive, so they start showing other unrelated stuff. Its not favoritism to the CBC, the CTRC isn't dealing with it at all.
  7. graham g from Canada writes: The CBC is too busy telling everyone that the China is wonderful even though they are killing people in Tibet. Only Bush is bad.
  8. g h from Canada writes: Pat Billings, you have an irrational hatred of the Leafs. We all know the organization is as useless as the on-ice product, but get over it buddy. Do what most of us do: we don't read or comment on Leafs stories because we don't find them interesting. It's not hard.
  9. Matt O from Canada writes: Chris Eaton from Fredericton, writes: "The fact of the matter is that these speciality networks quickly learn that most specialties don't have enough of an audience to survive, so they start showing other unrelated stuff. Its not favoritism to the CBC, the CTRC isn't dealing with it at all."

    Fair point, and I'm sure that CBC could cook up some justification for throwing sports onto its speciality network. But, as you suggest, there's still a story of corruption and/or incompetence at the CRTC that's waiting to be written...and I do think that it's much worse for a public company to be involved in such trickery.

    By the way, the Alliance Atlantis did in fact come up with some ridiculous justification for having CSI on the History Channel...something about showing "the history of forensic science in 21st century America," or something like that. Worth a Google if you need a laugh.
  10. M Poland from Canada writes: Moore made the call for the right reasons--once in while one will get burned by that. As for the G&M, people here call it Toronto's national newspaper!
  11. Mike Anderson from Canada writes: graham g: Good point! I was thinking the exact same thing when I watched Ron MacLean on TV last night, shilling for the Beijing Experience. What a phony! This same guy tries to play bad cop with Gary Bettman every year because, as an American, what possible good could Bettman ever do? But then MacLean, clearly at the full urging of jokers like Moore, puts on the big weatherman smile for those nice, generous understanding folks who run China.

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